Ethiopia: Information on the Ethiopian Netsanet Democratic Party (ENDP)

United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, Ethiopia: Information on the Ethiopian Netsanet Democratic Party (ENDP), 14 December 1999, ETH.00004.NRB, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6a6a21c.html [accessed 3 August 2015]

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Query:

Who are the leaders of the Kenya-based Ethiopian Netsanet Democratic Party, or ENDP? Have any of them been arrested in Kenya or Ethiopia? Has ENDP been involved in any military or terrorist activities?

Response:

A comprehensive search of numerous databases turned up no reference to the ENDP or Netsanet more generally. In addition, multiple search engines and searches through several dozen African web sites found nothing (except for the Ethiopian National Democratic Party, a different, unrelated ENDP). The information provided below, which may be of use, discusses agents of the Ethiopian government which target political opponents in exile in Africa.

A group known as Hager Fiqir, made up of Ethiopian government agents and others, were reported to target political opponents in exile. They are said to operate in South Africa, Kenya and other countries. An ethnic Oromo resident of Johannesburg was kidnapped, detained, and beaten up at a Hager Fiqir office in January 1999 after attending a meeting of the Oromo community in which speakers denounced human rights violations against Ethiopians (ION 3 Apr. 1999).

Ethnic Oromos have accused the Kenyans of allowing the Ethiopian government to target Oromos in Kenya. In Kenya in 1992, Jatani Ali, an Oromo liberation leader, was killed in Nairobi. In August this year, the Ethiopian embassy in Nairobi in conjunction with the Hager Fiqir is alleged to have planned to have Oromo intellectuals killed or abducted and returned to Ethiopia. There are also accusations that persons close to the Ethiopian government have joined the ranks of the UNHCR branch office in Nairobi and are working to block assistance to Oromo refugees (BBC 27 Nov. 1999).

This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the RIC within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

References

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) - Summary of World Broadcasts, Voice of

Oromo Liberation. "Oromo rebel radio says Kenya sides with Ethiopian government against Oromos," (London: BBC, 27 November 1999) - as reported on NEXIS.